The fourth plinth: top 10

The fourth plinth: top 10

There were a great many weird and wonderful contributions to Antony Gormley's fourth plinth project in Trafalgar Square. Here are just a few of the weirdest and most wonderful.
Click on their names to see the video of their performance on the official site

Thursday 8 October 2009 19.05 EDT
First published on Thursday 8 October 2009 19.05 EDT

1 Godzilla

Though Gerald Chong had an 8am slot, his hour was pure primetime entertainment. He arrived in an 8ft Godzilla costume, erected a cardboard replica of the London skyline (including the Eye and Nelson’s Column) – and then pulverised the lot. The incredible effort that went into this live-action monster movie is documented on a charming video he posted on
YouTube.

2 The bread sculptor

On The Archers, Jill Archer had claimed she’d like to bake bread on the fourth plinth. Inspired by this, Amanda Hall did the next best thing, paying homage to the work of Antony Gormley’s Event Horizon while she was at it. Armed with boxes of bread, she made a Gormley-style human figure out of bagels, baps and ciabattas, then took it to St James’s Park to be eaten.

3 Gunter

Ollie Campbell turned up in a lime-green stocking mask. He then got into a large tent, which over the course of 45 minutes shook violently and eventually disgorged a live chicken and two blow-up dolls. Gunter finally reappeared, stripped completely naked, hurled himself into the safety net, and then at the end of his hour jumped off the plinth and streaked across Trafalgar Square pursued by the police.

4 The Balloonatic

Who’d have known the fun that could be had with a 6ft balloon? Accompanied by a surreal soundtrack from a portable stereo, Steve Cousins climbed in and out of the giant red inflatable, first sticking his head inside and bouncing it on his shoulders like a giant human lightbulb, then allowing it to swallow him completely until his head emerged from the balloon’s neck, Weeble-style.

5 Sammy the ref

If you were passing through Trafalgar Square at 3am the last thing you’d expect is to be shown the red card and sent off, which is why Sam Martin’s turn as a referee was so delicious. Dressed in black football kit and blowing his whistle at random nightowls for walking under the safety net or ignoring him while they were on the phone, he stayed in character throughout – even announcing half time.

6 Tattletale

Jonathan May-Bowles had the idea of broadcasting his phone number (via a placard and also on Twitter) and getting people to text him their secrets, which he would then read out on the plinth. For an hour, Trafalgar Square reeled to a riveting succession of sad, hilarious and sexually explicit admissions, which May-Bowles delivered without moral judgment but a lot of humour. The effect was weirdly life-affirming.

7 The living statue

Like many participants, Neil Studd claimed that he couldn’t think of anything to do on the fourth plinth, so he’d just stand there. He didn’t mention that he’d first paint himself grey and dress as Nelson. Most living statues are unspeakably annoying, but by echoing Trafalgar Sqaure’s most famous monument, this one was clever and witty.

8 Liz Crow

Artist Liz Crow emailed the Guardian to ask why her hour on the plinth hadn’t received any press coverage. Given that it involved her sitting in a wheelchair while wearing a Nazi uniform, it certainly wasn’t short on controversy. Like many other participants, Crow was making a political statement – in this case, about the rights of disabled people – and her 10pm Saturday night stint deserves full marks for nerve.

9 Susanna: naked but modest

As Gormley predicted, many people have posed naked on the plinth, but Susanna Meese-Simpson embodied the phrase “tasteful nudity”. Her dignified posing, as if for a portrait, was the polar opposite of
Naomi McDonald, the lapdancer who spent her hour grinding and jiggling – but both hours revealed a lot about what nakedness can express, and the differing responses it receives.

10 Plinth Paul’s fun with science

Paul Speller’s hour was genuinely innovative. On being selected he had decided that he was going to perform a succession of science experiments, set up a website and asked people to post their suggestions. He then carried them out – and they ranged from finding out whether a tin-can phone really worked to whether God exists – involving viewers both in Trafalgar Square and online.